But David kept thinking to himself,“ Someday Saul is going to get me. The best thing I can do is escape to the Philistines. Then Saul will stop hunting for me in Israelite territory, and I will finally be safe.”

大卫心里说：“必有一日我死在扫罗手里，不如逃奔非利士地去。扫罗见我不在以色列的境内，就必绝望，不再寻索我；这样我可以脱离他的手。”

大卫心里说：“总有一天我会死在扫罗手里，现在我最好逃到非利士人的地去，扫罗就会绝望，不会继续在以色列全境内寻索我了。这样，我才可以脱离他的手。”

大卫心里说：“总有一天我会死在扫罗手里，现在我最好逃到非利士人的地去，扫罗就会绝望，不会继续在以色列全境内寻索我了。这样，我才可以脱离他的手。”

大卫心里想：“终有一天，我会死在扫罗手里，我最好逃到非利士人那里。这样，扫罗就不会在以色列到处追捕我了，我便可以逃离他的手。”

大卫心里说：“总有一天，我会死在扫罗的手里，我倒不如逃奔到非利士人的国土，扫罗对我就会死心，不再在以色列全境寻索我，我就可以逃脱他的手了。”

大卫心里说：“我总有一天会死在扫罗手中，已经别无选择，只能逃到非利士人之地；这样，扫罗就会放弃，不会继续在以色列全境寻索我，我也就逃脱他的手了。”

大衛心裏說：「必有一日我死在掃羅手裏，不如逃奔非利士地去。掃羅見我不在以色列的境內，就必絕望，不再尋索我；這樣我可以脫離他的手。」

大衛心裏說：「總有一天我會死在掃羅手裏，現在我最好逃到非利士人的地去，掃羅就會絕望，不會繼續在以色列全境內尋索我了。這樣，我才可以脫離他的手。」

大衛心裏說：「總有一天我會死在掃羅手裏，現在我最好逃到非利士人的地去，掃羅就會絕望，不會繼續在以色列全境內尋索我了。這樣，我才可以脫離他的手。」

大衛心裡想：「終有一天，我會死在掃羅手裡，我最好逃到非利士人那裡。這樣，掃羅就不會在以色列到處追捕我了，我便可以逃離他的手。」

大衛心裡說：“總有一天，我會死在掃羅的手裡，我倒不如逃奔到非利士人的國土，掃羅對我就會死心，不再在以色列全境尋索我，我就可以逃脫他的手了。”

大衛心裏說：『如今看來，總有一天我會被收拾在掃羅手裏的；最好莫如逃跑到非利士人之地去；掃羅對我就必絕望、再也不在以色列全境尋索我了；這樣、我便可以逃脫他的手了。』

大衛心裡說：「我總有一天會死在掃羅手中，已經別無選擇，只能逃到非利士人之地；這樣，掃羅就會放棄，不會繼續在以色列全境尋索我，我也就逃脫他的手了。」

大衛意謂、必有一日、我亡於掃羅手、不如遁入非利士地、掃羅則絕其望、不復索我於以色列境、我乃脫於其手、

大闢慮後日為掃羅所害、不如速遁於非利士人地。掃羅見我不在以色列四境、必不索我、我可脫其手。

大衛意謂、恐後有一日、我終亡於掃羅手、不如奔非利士地、掃羅見我不在以色列境內、必絕望不復索我、我乃可脫其手、

But David thought to himself,“ One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me anywhere in Israel, and I will slip out of his hand.”

David thought,“ Some day Saul will destroy me. So the best thing I can do is escape. I’ll go to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will stop looking for me everywhere in Israel. His hand won’t be able to reach me.”

Then David said in his heart,“ Now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of seeking me any longer within the borders of Israel, and I shall escape out of his hand.”

David said to himself,“ One of these days I’ll be swept away by Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape immediately to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me everywhere in Israel, and I’ll escape from him.”

Then David said to himself,“ Now I will perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to safely escape into the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of searching for me anymore in all the territory of Israel, and I will escape from his hand.”

And David said in his heart,“ Now I shall perish someday by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape to the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me anymore in any part of Israel. So I shall escape out of his hand.”

And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me any more in all the borders of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand.

David said to himself,“ One of these days I’ll be swept away by Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape immediately to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will stop searching for me everywhere in Israel, and I’ll escape from him.”

And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul:[ there is] nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand.

David thought to himself,“ One of these days I’m going to be swept away by the hand of Saul! There is nothing better for me than to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of searching for me through all the territory of Israel and I will escape from his hand.”

David said in his heart,“ I will now perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me any more in all the borders of Israel. So shall I escape out of his hand.”

O Jacob, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles? O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights?Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding.He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion.But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord.And it is good for people to submit at an early age to the yoke of his discipline:

Then he asked them,“ Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said,‘ Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’”

“ Don’t be afraid,” Jonathan reassured him.“ My father will never find you! You are going to be the king of Israel, and I will be next to you, as my father, Saul, is well aware.”

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.

“ I, yes I, am the one who comforts you. So why are you afraid of mere humans, who wither like the grass and disappear?

About that time the Philistines mustered their armies for another war with Israel. King Achish told David,“ You and your men will be expected to join me in battle.”“ Very well!” David agreed.“ Now you will see for yourself what we can do.” Then Achish told David,“ I will make you my personal bodyguard for life.”

In my anxiety I cried out to you,“ These people are all liars!”

This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:“ Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it.You said,‘ No, we will get our help from Egypt. They will give us swift horses for riding into battle.’ But the only swiftness you are going to see is the swiftness of your enemies chasing you!

So David escaped from Saul and went to King Achish of Gath.But the officers of Achish were unhappy about his being there.“ Isn’t this David, the king of the land?” they asked.“ Isn’t he the one the people honor with dances, singing,‘ Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?”David heard these comments and was very afraid of what King Achish of Gath might do to him.So he pretended to be insane, scratching on doors and drooling down his beard.Finally, King Achish said to his men,“ Must you bring me a madman?We already have enough of them around here! Why should I let someone like this be my guest?”

So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah.

“ Why is the Lord taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?”

One day the prophet Gad told David,“ Leave the stronghold and return to the land of Judah.” So David went to the forest of Hereth.

“ Where did you make your raid today?” Achish would ask. And David would reply,“ Against the south of Judah, the Jerahmeelites, and the Kenites.”No one was left alive to come to Gath and tell where he had really been. This happened again and again while he was living among the Philistines.

Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him.“ You have so little faith,” Jesus said.“ Why did you doubt me?”

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

As the Philistine rulers were leading out their troops in groups of hundreds and thousands, David and his men marched at the rear with King Achish.But the Philistine commanders demanded,“ What are these Hebrews doing here?” And Achish told them,“ This is David, the servant of King Saul of Israel. He’s been with me for years, and I’ve never found a single fault in him from the day he arrived until today.”But the Philistine commanders were angry.“ Send him back to the town you’ve given him!” they demanded.“ He can’t go into the battle with us. What if he turns against us in battle and becomes our adversary? Is there any better way for him to reconcile himself with his master than by handing our heads over to him?Isn’t this the same David about whom the women of Israel sing in their dances,‘ Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?”So Achish finally summoned David and said to him,“ I swear by the Lord that you have been a trustworthy ally. I think you should go with me into battle, for I’ve never found a single flaw in you from the day you arrived until today. But the other Philistine rulers won’t hear of it.Please don’t upset them, but go back quietly.”“ What have I done to deserve this treatment?” David demanded.“ What have you ever found in your servant, that I can’t go and fight the enemies of my lord the king?”But Achish insisted,“ As far as I’m concerned, you’re as perfect as an angel of God. But the Philistine commanders are afraid to have you with them in the battle.Now get up early in the morning, and leave with your men as soon as it gets light.”So David and his men headed back into the land of the Philistines, while the Philistine army went on to Jezreel.Three days later, when David and his men arrived home at their town of Ziklag, they found that the Amalekites had made a raid into the Negev and Ziklag; they had crushed Ziklag and burned it to the ground.They had carried off the women and children and everyone else but without killing anyone.When David and his men saw the ruins and realized what had happened to their families,

Now the Lord said to Samuel,“ You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel, so fill your flask with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my king.”

When the Lord has done all he promised and has made you leader of Israel,

When we arrived in Macedonia, there was no rest for us. We faced conflict from every direction, with battles on the outside and fear on the inside.